A Brief History
On December 12, 1941, American forces were still reeling from the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor when Philippine-American pilot Jesus Villamor led a flight of Boeing P-26 “Peashooter” fighter planes against superior Japanese aircraft that were raiding Batanga Airfield.
Digging Deeper
Superb Japanese Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighter planes were escorting G3M Nell bombers. The Philippine-American force had only a handful of greatly outclassed P-26s. Despite the odds, Villamor managed to shoot down 2 Zeros while his men shot down an additional Zero and a Nell, an incredible feat considering the differences in the quality of airplanes involved.
The P-26 was perhaps the least capable American fighter plane of World War II. First flown in 1932, only 151 were built. It was a throwback to an era before the Japanese Zero, the German Bf-109 and the British Hurricane redefined fighter aircraft in the mid 1930s.
The P-26 was named the “Peashooter” because of its pathetic armament of only 2 x .30 caliber machine guns. Furthermore, it had an old-fashioned open cockpit and speed-robbing fixed landing gear, and it’s 600 horsepower engine could only propel it to a maximum speed of 234 mph. These low capabilities caused the Peashooter to become obsolete only 3 years after its introduction when the Curtiss P-36, with its enclosed cockpit, retractable landing gear and 313 mph top speed was first flown. The P-26 Peashooter, however, the first all-metal fighter the U.S. had to offer.
The P-26 had seen some limited service in China and had been engaged in history’s first all-metal fighter vs. fighter encounter. Success, though, was limited. One P-26 actually saw service in the Spanish Civil War before the outbreak of World War II but achieved no known success. Surprisingly, the P-26 remained in service in Guatemala until it was finally retired in 1956 after having last seen combat in 1954.
The Japanese Zero, on the other hand, was speedy and highly maneuverable. It was capable of flying up to 331 mph, and with 2 x .30 caliber machine guns and 2 x 20mm cannons, it was well armed. Considering the nearly 100 mph top speed difference, it is a miracle the P-26s had any success at all. Even the Japanese Nell bombers flew as fast as the P-26, and they were armed with 1 x 20mm cannon and 4 x .30 caliber machine guns!
For his exploits, Villamor was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), the second highest medal in the U.S. military. Incredibly, only 2 days earlier, on December 10, 1941, he had been involved in another exploit for which he was also awarded a DSC! He is the only Filipino to earn 2 such awards.
As has always been the case in warfare, lesser weapons wielded with skill and courage can sometimes overcome superior technology. World War II provided many examples of this, notably by the Finns, the Polish Resistance, the French Resistance and, of course, by the Americans and Filipinos who flew outmoded aircraft at the beginning of the war.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Davis, Larry, Joe Sewell, et al. Boeing P-26 Peashooter – Mini in action No. 2. Squadron/Signal Publications, 2000.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="6851 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=6851">9 Comments
The P-26 did what it was designed to do. It’s not the plane’s fault that the people who drew up the specs gave it shitty armament.
If a plane is bad, it is because it was designed that way. Obviously, inanimate objects are not to be held at fault, but the people that design, build, and employ them are the guilty parties. The P-26 lacked more than just decent armament.
In all fairness, the P-26 was designed during the time of the fabric biplane. The Bristol Bulldog was the standard plane of its time and Italy was beginning to use the Fiat CR32. The Peashooter predates the Gloster Gladiator, let alone the P-36, Hurricane and the ME109. The Spitfire of that time was a rip of the P-26 and would go through major changes. For what it was, the Peashooter was a peacetime fighter, far ahead of contemporaries. A year after its introduction, things changed drastically. But it was a year later.
I do admit, the 1940 film clip is embarrassing. The fact that 109s and Spitfires were duking it out as this was filmed is discouraging.
Yes, the P-26 was the worst US fighter of WWII because it was the oldest US model to see combat. The fact that this airplane that was profoundly obsolete by the time it saw combat actually shot down state of the art Zero’s is amazing!
It displays the skill and cunning of the Philippino fighter pilots like Jesus Villamor. When I think of worst, I think of badly designed machines. As mentioned, the Bristol Bulldog was still in service in the RAF. Although never saw combat, I imagine it to be worse than the P-26 on raw performance. Some will go for the Brewster Buffalo, but I think that we know better, Major. Or the Defiant, or Roc or Skua. Or the early Typhoons. Or the ME163. Or the ME110. Or 210. Or 410. Or a lot of Russian planes like the MiG 3. You are right that the P-26 is less than stellar. But damn it, I just can’t call it the worst fight plan. But that’s just me. They are certainly lovely to look at, though.
Yes, the P-26 is a nifty looking plane. The Buffalo was well liked by the Finns, but certainly when it comes to a contemporary mass produced fighter, the Me 110 has to be considered. Some of those other ones just needed refining. The Me 110 was refined over and over and it still sucked.
If you compare it to the other fighters that were flying at the time of its introduction, the P-26 was ahead of its time, when most air forces were still flying biplanes. As for the armament, the two .30 cal MGs were pretty typical for the era. It’s hardly the fault of the aircraft that innovations rapidly made it obsolete.
He could likely out turn the Zero and the Zero was very poorly protected against gun fire and if he was shooting API and hit the fuel it would be over. But a stated it took guts and skill….